Discussed: Dan's gummi vitamins, vitamins in general, the childhood shame of those weird plaque pills, exotic sickness images, Fifth Disease comes to Austin, Dan's car troubles, Faraday Cages and how to build them, a potential t-shirt for you. Dan was cleaning out his garage, and Merlin has a lot to say about the philosophy and practical components of getting rid of junk at scale. Also, Dan really kills it on eBay. Merlin is very excited about Fantastic Four coming back and has some potential wa...
Apr 24, 2018•2 hr 49 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, the boys discuss Drafts, The Archive, Merlin's love of Spotify, some great playlists, and weird rules for cheerleaders. In extensive follow-up, your hosts talk about the listener who was having trouble with addressing employees and social media use. This goes lots of interesting places. Next up, even more input from listeners on social media policies and living life in a fishbowl. Links for this episode: Drafts | Agile Tortoise Drafts (@draftsapp) | Twitter Vector with Rene Ritchie: 0...
Apr 17, 2018•2 hr 31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Bula vinaka, bee tee dubs nation! This is an epic odds and sods episode, replete with TV follow-up, font follow-up, and Wild, Wild Country follow-up, along with book recommendations, happy Splatoon 2 talk, and a pretty terrible 70s board game. Also, ubi sunt retail amirite? Also, your hosts finally ( finally! ) address a listener's excellent and very difficult question about her millennial employee's use of social media. Lot of levels! Links for this episode: Rules of Thumb: A Life Manual: Tom P...
Apr 10, 2018•2 hr 35 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Dan and Merlin discuss Jessica Jones and the problem of super power constitution, plus some more Netflix recommendations ("Look away! Looooook awaaaaay!"). They also do a dive into updates on the monospace fonts they like and use. Next, up they talk about the new app, The Archive, contrasting with nvALT. Finally, your hosts answer an excellent listener question about struggling to manage more experienced developers. Links for this episode: The Archive (macOS) • Zettelkasten Method Jes...
Apr 03, 2018•2 hr 41 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, your hosts say " Bula Vinaka! " They also discuss phone cards, some Netflix recommendations, Merlin's phone usage, and "accidentally" getting punched in the face by your kid. Of course, they also talk about the TV and voice control ecosystems. They also respond to listener questions about better active listening, and how they each take notes for podcasts. Links for this episode: AT&T Fiji Commercial - YouTube Netflix Wild Wild Country | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube Ne...
Mar 27, 2018•1 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, your hosts discuss Steely Dan, digital mastering, The Police, Dune, high-quality VCRs, and Dan's brother-in-law's close call. Next, they dive into a fascinating article on why projects fail . Finally, the boys respond to a listener's question about cautious workplace enthusiasm. Links for this episode: The meaning of snafu, clusterfuck, and shitshow: There's a difference — Quartz at Work SPARS code - Wikipedia Brought to you by: Squarespace (Start your free trial site today, at S...
Mar 20, 2018•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, your hosts talk about some stuff they're doing, loving Spotify, some Echo podcast-listening tips, the attraction of Google Drive, some thoughts on backup strategies, getting swole, the joys of rock tumbler ownership, scary times in Austin, weird iMac problems, some more thoughts on backup strategies, Merlin's obsession with drumming videos, and yet more Apple TV foibles. Links for this episode: Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #21 — Merlin Mann Amazon adds follow-up mode for Alexa to let you ma...
Mar 13, 2018•1 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, your hosts talk about using Windows, technology modalities, making sane decisions as a developer, reality TV, 20th anniversary of The Dude, Merlin's new fondness for Spotify, analyzing takes on the HomePod, options for high-quality in smart speakers, dealing with recurring financial (and psychological) eels, competitive heat in the smart home ecosystem, Canadians, and the name of Scotland Yard. They also answer a listener question about feeling overwhelmed by content options. Links fo...
Mar 06, 2018•1 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Dan and Merlin talk about weather as a thing and giving up on Cash's dumb iPad problem. This leads to discussion about the risks, opportunities, and frustrations of having lots of data in different places (probably). The main topic this week is an exploration of TickTick. Neat app. They also almost talk about Black Panther . Links for this episode: TickTick Overview · TickTick User Guide Dew point - Wikipedia Jaz drive - Wikipedia MusicBrainz Picard Queen - Somebody To Love (Official ...
Feb 27, 2018•1 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Dan and Merlin talk a little too much about Harry Potter, but also manage to cover some other media properties as well as the shockingly limited options for British casting. Dan has a new task management app, and Merlin decides to give it a spin too. The need for help from the jackals who make Cash's iPad app is escalated. In a somewhat classic style, the conversation moves to considering Big Issues around work, friction, modality, usability, and apps for pound-sign productivity. Twit...
Feb 20, 2018•1 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Dan and Merlin talk about lots of recent experiences with the weird and often-frustrating world of streaming TV. What a mess. There's also some discussion of sauna suits, The Eagles, Mummers, and Dan's victorious t-shirt. Also, Dan needs your help with solving a terrible problem with one of Cash's iPad games. Links for this episode: Welcome | Movies Anywhere Eagles fan gets a tattoo of the Philly Special - NFL.com Hulu Says Super Bowl Live-Streaming Outage Was Caused by Program-Extens...
Feb 13, 2018•1 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Dan and Merlin talk about the Eagles' big win, what constitutes a catch, Dan's cool new shirt, Merlin's surprisingly positive interactions with Kabletown, the seeming magic of Movies Anywhere, some recent TV recommendations, and a great listener tip for using Nuzzel. Your hosts also respond to Listener Daniel's question about new job responsibilities making him feel like an impostor. Links for this episode: Netflix - instantwatcher - The Ultimate Guide for Streaming Explore | Movies A...
Feb 06, 2018•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Dan and Merlin talk about crazy kids' homework, Dan's exciting nerd field trips in the Bay Area, the magic of PIXAR, a handy Netflix companion site, and using Siri on Apple TV. Things get a little heated during a discussion about all the weirdly fawning coverage of HomePod—and whether or when Apple's new speaker dingus might find a place in your hosts' lives. Recommendations include a podcast with Hawkeye Pierce, an excellent boiled eggs recipe, and some cool TED-Ed videos. Your hosts...
Jan 30, 2018•1 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Dan and Merlin talk a lot about writing and respond to feedback from listeners. Links for this episode: Bacon Method How long to grill a steak on a charcoal grill - The rule of threes - Grilling24x7Grilling24x7 Rule of three - Wikipedia Home – Nintendo Labo Official Site – Trailer, product information Flu may be spread just by breathing, new study says Brought to you by: ButcherBox (For FREE bacon and $20 off your first box go to Butcherbox.com/backtowork and enter BACKTOWORK). Square...
Jan 24, 2018•1 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Dan has some weather, Cash makes a battery, homework can be a silly drag, management is about scalability and quantification, how to figure out how much you have to do, 80s movies can be problematic, ultracrepidarianism, making fish wanna get nasty, and you gotta give people ONE suggestion. Great listener feedback on the evolution of pro kitchens, real-life risk aversion, and a terrific use of Echo's drop-in functionality. Also, the possibilities and shortcomings of Machine Learning a...
Jan 16, 2018•1 hr 18 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, your hosts cover some odds and sods, share some recommendations, design some fantasy podcast apps, and introduce an exciting new feature involving the Internet Science Site. They also respond to a listener's thorny question about dealing with negative chatter in the workplace. Links for this episode: Ungainly X-Mann Meetup #20 — Merlin Mann MERLIN MANN (Back to Work, Roderick on the Line, Reconcilable Differences, Do By Friday, You Look Nice Today, et al.) invites you to drop by Two C...
Jan 09, 2018•2 hr 32 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Dan and Merlin talk about why they're trending , an exciting update on the Mr. Robot ATV bug, the frustrating opacity of using Apple's stuff, Dan's love for Nintendo Switch, nostalgia for NASA, Merlin's love for the Amazon Spot, the problem of fish food and regret, updates on your hosts' sleep technologies, possible solutions for killing spam on iPhone, and some more thoughts on dealing with Netflix's filtering, ratings, and…jeez kinda just everything about their dingaling interface. ...
Jan 02, 2018•1 hr 27 min•Transcript available on Metacast The boys wrap up a big year— a huge year —with an unintentionally thematic episode about feelings, expectations, nostalgia, and the black boxes of life, technological and otherwise. Links for this episode: gyrosco.pe Patriot (TV Series 2015– ) - IMDb Fortitude (TV series) - Wikipedia Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? (Part One) - The New York Times Gyroscope V1.10 – Gyroscope iPad Pro — What’s a computer — Apple - YouTube Apple Is Ready to Ditch the Mac | John C. Dvorak | PCMag.com Darin...
Dec 29, 2017•1 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Dan and Merlin talk about keyboard preferences (and their noises), Merlin catching Dan's weird "Mr. Robot" bug on Apple TV, feedback about "inside jokes," exclusion as a weapon, more good Robert Wright interviews, a deepish dive on Netflix personalization techniques (alongside some speculation on how well it's working), platforms and technologies as lobster traps, the problem with cartoons about screaming, how much kids love YouTube, the challenge of partnering with podcast middlepers...
Dec 19, 2017•2 hr 40 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Dan and Merlin talk about (partial) resolution to Dan's Apple TV bug, some venting about delivery problems, general complaining about customer service, a good TV podcast episode, a very good Buddhism podcast episode, some excellent Buddhism talk, listener follow-up on Dan's strange video mail package, shakeups and wild innovation in the TV bidness, that creepy/mean Netflix tweet, and a listener's question about whether the tech requirements at a promising new job should be a deal-brea...
Dec 12, 2017•2 hr 46 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Dan and Merlin discuss theories on Dan's Mr. Robot/Apple TV bug, living in an opinion bubble, an update on flu shot efficacy, Dan's recent insane mail delivery, speculation on how giant ad buys work, consternation about memory-holed media. Your hosts respond to a listener's question about the difficulty of choosing a career path that wasn't what you'd expected. Merlin also explains his shaving strategy. Links for this episode: Bizarre bug in Apple TV 4k - can’t access specific program...
Dec 05, 2017•2 hr 41 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Dan and Merlin talk about…so many things. Merlin had a lot of coffee. Big topics include: Flickr nostalgia (and smart photo backup tips) Dan's crazy Apple TV bug A terrific podcast episode about Buddhism and the human mind A tough listener question about gracefully leaving a job Links for this episode: What Buddhism got right about the human brain — The Ezra Klein Show — Overcast I’m interested in mindfulness, and so have read a lot of books on the subject. This isn’t like those. It’s...
Dec 01, 2017•2 hr 44 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, your hosts discuss: holiday disruptions, life patterns, the joys of regularity, discovering unnecessary existential vulnerabilities, scheduling as a video game, getting your head around sous vide cooking, modern kids' arithmetic, CBD dosage stuff, using the Sway app, meditation for improving attention management, dealing with the character who speaks your internal voice, some hot tips on starting meditation, a historical video series Merlin's family likes, a quest for a typeface, nost...
Nov 21, 2017•2 hr 30 min•Transcript available on Metacast TOPIC : Integrity and Fear. This week your hosts discuss: sandwiches, solar power, some recent movies and what makes them memorable (or not), the glory of Edgar Wright, fun movie commentaries, Dan's rowing machine, big changes for Chairman Bendis, a cool free font from IBM, awesome creativity from a listener, some thoughts on apps for meditation and relaxation (and the important distinction between those things), the downside of Competitive Mindfulness and similar, some excellent feedback on las...
Nov 14, 2017•2 hr 42 min•Transcript available on Metacast TOPIC : Trials, Trophies, and Trying Harder. This week, the boys arrive from either the past or future to talk about Dan's spoon problem, the refuse racket, the slog of incremental improvement, the perils of black and white thinking, folding paper seven times, and Dan’s mad cart-riding skills. This leads to this week’s main topic: an epic exploration of success and failure. No spoilers, but this is a good one. Links for this episode: Aseptic processing - Wikipedia Mego King Kong Drinking Straw C...
Nov 07, 2017•2 hr 45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dan and Merlin talk about Halloween, the Chromebook, Apple, WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), and hair removal. Links for this episode: SNL Transcripts: John Goodman: 03/16/96 Mark Rober - YouTube - YouTube GloZell! Hairiest Man in Australia uses Nad's Hair Removal!!! - YouTube Death Becomes Her - Wikipedia iPad2 Halloween Costume- Gaping hole in torso - YouTube Amazon.com: Plantronics BackBeat PRO 2 - Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black & Tan): Cell Phones & Accessories Am...
Oct 31, 2017•1 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast TOPIC : Too much ambiguity in time. This week, your hosts discuss hot weather adjustments, Merlin's Skype woes, the state of the union on Skype replacement contenders, ruminations on Mac troubleshooting, the fraught future of retail comic book stores, a side rant on the really dumb economics of the comics industry, hobby shop nostalgia, lobby bell techniques and triangle mounting options, some great tips for pressing things on iOS Safari, the joys of Safari Reader mode, Chrome vs. Safari, changi...
Oct 24, 2017•2 hr 30 min•Transcript available on Metacast TOPIC : Turns out. This week, the boys talk about audio problems, hot dogs, kegeling, Merlin's next meet-up, Tsum Tsums, comic suggestions, Battle of the Sexes , excellent recent TV series, All the President's Men , the app Pacifica, warming buns, Dan's encounter with Koo Koo Kanga Roo, a dearth of good information about VPNs (yikes!), levels of "Turns Out," a podcast episode about gluten, and hot phones with possibly low batteries. In a very surprising "turns out," Dan has a surprising call tha...
Oct 23, 2017•1 hr 19 min•Transcript available on Metacast TOPIC : Surface Tension. This week, Dan and Merlin discuss names of cities in Florida, wireless neckbands, elliptical bikes, chore systems (and parental withholding), iOS battery life, canny Mac laptop battery monitoring, how battery cycles work, Todd, and things you already know (unless you don't already know them). Two pretty good YouTube channels are recommended. Your hosts talk about that weird thing where iOS throws up a password pop-up, including some recent bad news on how it might be exp...
Oct 10, 2017•1 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast TOPIC : You're not supposed to pet the car. This week, Dan and Merlin discuss Nest Cam updates, Ring doorbell tracking, Echo family additions, HDMI questions, the fraught landscape of 4K HDR TV stuff, and how shopping makes Merlin feel kind of vulnerable. Two excellent music podcasts are recommended. Dan has a new MacBook Pro and a lot to say about it. Merlin introduces something he calls "Power Puttering." Links for this episode: Amazon.com: Cable Matters Combo, 270 Degree and 90 Degree HDMI Ma...
Oct 03, 2017•2 hr 40 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
